Launceston Airport Statistics

Launceston Airport (LST) is Tasmania’s second-busiest airport and the main gateway to northern Tasmania, offering domestic connections to major Australian cities through several carriers.

Launceston Airport handles over 1.4 million passengers annually.

• The airport welcomed 1.46 million passengers in 2025, its busiest year on record, surpassing pre-pandemic levels.
• In 2019, passenger numbers reached 1.40 million before dropping sharply during the pandemic.
• Traffic fell to 452,437 passengers in 2020 (a 68% drop).
• In 2021, it rebounded slightly to 622,454 passengers.
• Recovery accelerated in 2022 with 1.17 million passengers, followed by 1.37 million in 2023 and 1.42 million in 2024.

Low-cost carriers dominate Launceston Airport, with Jetstar Airways and Virgin Australia controlling most of the market.

• According to BITRE’s 2025 Domestic Airline On Time Performance airport data, Jetstar operated the most reported departures from Launceston Airport, with 2,052 departing sectors flown on the reported Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney routes.
• Virgin Australia ranked second with 1,617 departing sectors, followed by QantasLink with 1,361.
• Together, Jetstar and Virgin Australia accounted for around 73% of BITRE-reported departures from Launceston¹.

Launceston Airport serves only domestic routes across Australia, with no scheduled international flights.

• Key mainland destinations include Melbourne (the busiest), Sydney, and Brisbane.
• Tasmanian connections include Hobart, Burnie, Flinders Island, King Island, and Cape Barren Island.
• The network primarily supports leisure travel and visiting friends and relatives (VFR), with business travel focused on Melbourne and Sydney routes.

Launceston Airport handles a relatively small volume of air cargo compared with Australia’s major freight hubs.

• All freight is domestic, carried in passenger aircraft belly holds or small dedicated freighters operated by Qantas Freight and Team Global Express (Toll).
• Outbound shipments typically include fresh produce, seafood, and express parcels, while consumer goods dominate inbound freight.

• Winter fog can impact early flights, though weather-related cancellations are generally low.
• Melbourne delays often affect Launceston flights due to high volume on the Melbourne-Launceston route.
• Air traffic control restrictions into Melbourne can cause morning peak delays.
• Operational issues like crew scheduling or aircraft availability cause delays less frequently.

• 29 May 2003: Aboard Qantas Flight 1737 from Melbourne to Launceston, a passenger attempted to hijack the aircraft with sharpened stakes. The crew and passengers subdued the attacker. The flight diverted back to Melbourne. No fatalities occurred, though two crew members were injured. The attacker was later found not guilty by reason of insanity, and the incident led to tightened security on Australian domestic flights³.
• June 2022: A false fire alarm triggered a precautionary evacuation of the terminal. Normal operations resumed quickly with no injuries or damage⁴.